A suspicious package delivered to Supreme Court yesterday, that put that court, Magistrates' Court and the House of Assembly on a high state of alert, halted several trials, including the drug trial of Floyd Hayward.

Hayward, 47, is charged with allegedly importing over $300,000 worth of heroin into the Island on April 9, 1999.

Minutes before 11 a.m. yesterday the trial was abruptly stopped after a senior Police officer entered Court Number One and silently spoke to Assistant Justice Charles-Etta Simmons.

And immediately after, she ordered the jury, witnesses, trial lawyers and other court personnel to leave the building in a calm manner.

Mrs. Justice Simmons led the courtroom contingent across Parliament Street to the Government Administrative Building where authorities said they would be safe.

The courts were cordoned off with heavy Police and Fire Service presence and the go ahead to return to the chambers was given just after noon.

Before the morning evacuation took effect, the nine woman, three man jury got to hear key testimony from a doctor who helped Hayward after he mysteriously passed out during the British Airways flight from London.

And when the trial eventually resumed late yesterday afternoon, the jury heard from several Police witnesses about their receiving of the package that contained the drug.

Dr. Claire Holt told the court during the morning session, that she came to the aid of Hayward, while he was in distress noting that he was having difficulty breathing.

As she checked him, Dr. Holt witnessed needle marks on Hayward's left arm, indicating to her in her capacity as a doctor, that Mr. Hayward may have suffered a drug overdose.

She added that while checking him, she noticed a "bulge protruding from his groin area", so she unbuckled his pants and pulled out a tightly wrapped plastic package containing a brown powdery substance.

The court heard testimony from the Government Analyst at the time of the incident that he analysed the substance and samples of urine taken from Hayward, when he was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after the plane landed.

Kevin Leask said: "The brown powder was 81.5 grams and found to be 50 percent of the control drug diamorphine. Urine samples taken of Mr. Hayward and examined and indicates the presence of the drug diamorphine."

Hayward, from Friswell's Hill, Pembroke, has pleaded not guilty to importing the drug even after the package of drugs were pulled from his pants after he had passed out on the British Airways flight.

This is the third trial for Hayward in this matter.

He was found guilty the first time, but had the verdict overturned by appeal and in the second trial the jury could not reach a verdict.

This case is expected to conclude today, with the prosecution calling its final witnesses.